


Game Over

by 96percentdone (Nakanaide)



Series: despair fever verse [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, M/M, Tragedy, sadness and pain and horrible things, the 'you fucked up the route' end, the bad end, this is basically just if my despair fever verse went to shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 19:14:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13464762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nakanaide/pseuds/96percentdone
Summary: "‘Something is wrong’ has been a nagging thought at the back of his mind since he woke up that morning. Poking him in the back of his brain, unable to let him rest."Saihara's been unable to stop worrying ever since Ouma-kun set his plan in motion. Something is going to go wrong. It's bound to go wrong. And go wrong it does.Or basically, if the despair fever verse ended in tragedy.





	Game Over

_ “So now you know…the one who stashed Monokuma away aboard this spaceship…and the  _ **_ringleader_ ** _ who forced you all into this killing game…” Ouma-kun’s expression turns absolutely demonic: a void of nothing but horror. “It was  _ **_me!_ ** _ ” _

It’s day two after Ouma-kun’s “reveal.” They discussed it. Saihara knows they discussed it. He knows why Ouma-kun resorted to that. It’s not an unfounded plan. It’s obvious bait for the ringleader: someone usurping their role. They  _ have _ to act if they want control back. And that’s what he’s been waiting for.

But even as he made the rounds yesterday on his own checking for suspicious behavior, even as he met up with everyone else today, even as he visited Momota-kun, and even now, just waiting in his room for Ouma-kun to check in with him, he’s been on edge, bags under his eyes. His fingers rapidly thrum at his leg. His shoulders are locked in place. He can’t stay still.

He’s back on his feet to pace the room for the umpteenth time when the door opens. Saihara freezes.  _ Could it be— _ but Ouma-kun flops over the back of the blue armchair, and whines. “Maaan, Momota-chan sure is exhausting to deal with. Even though he’s been locked in the bathroom for over a day, he still yells at me every time he thinks I’m in the hangar or go to feed him. You’d think he’d give up by now.”

_ It’s just you. Finally.  _ Saihara sighs in relief before sitting back down. “Well, you did abduct him and claim you’re the ringleader.”

Ouma-kun deflates, hanging over the back of the chair.“Yeaaahhh…but you’d think he’d run out of energy. Or at least notice he’s called me a lying, evil sack of shit over ten times in one hour and needs more creative insults. What’s he going to do when the actual ringleader shows up?”

Saihara just sighs and shakes his head.  _ At least you seem fine.  _  “No idea. Anyway, I should tell you what’s happened,”

And he does. He tells Ouma-kun about the flashback light that appeared that morning. How he found Harukawa-san while he was patrolling, and together they found the flashback light. How the flashback light ties everything back to Hope’s Peak Academy, and Ouma-kun is a remnant of despair, and the plan to break Momota-kun out. So much happened in the span of one morning.

Ouma-kun is silent throughout the entire explanation, brows furrowed as he processes all the new information. When Saihara finally finishes, he hums to himself. “So Harukawa-chan was wandering around, huh..?” He says, finger pressed against his lips. “Then it’s possible she’s the one who placed the flashback light there before you discovered it, right?”

“It’s possible, but it’s not certain.” Saihara replies. “There was at least a two hour period between the last time I checked the dining hall and this morning when we found it. If anyone else was awake, they could have done it while I slept.”  _ Still, it does look suspicious,  _ he has to admit.

“Maybe so~ Besides, it’d be boring and obvious if the assassin was behind the killing game, wouldn’t it?” Ouma-kun asks, and Saihara doesn’t miss the venom behind the word assassin. But he doesn’t push it further. “Still, a remnant of despair huh? Amazing. Even I didn’t know that about myself.” He laughs. “I thought I ran a prank organization.”

“There’s a lot about us we don’t know.”

“Makes you wonder how much of us is real to begin with,” Ouma-kun folds his arms against the top of the chair and rests his chin between them. “Either way, this is obviously the ringleader’s counter strategy.” He frowns, “but this strategy…”

_ Yeah… _ Saihara isn’t sure what to make of this either. It’s such a subtle move, and a lie, but for what purpose? What does the ringleader gain from this?  _ It’s some kind of bait,  _ he thinks, but for who? It’s not for him. The ringleader likely knows about their alliance, so, who’s the bait for? Are they trying to bait someone into eliminating the false ringleader?

_ But…we all came up with a plan this morning to confront Ouma-kun and rescue Momota-kun… _ He doesn’t understand this move, and it worries him. He thinks it through over and over, and is no closer to understanding it. His gut sinks.

It’s only when Saihara goes to speak he realizes just how tightly he’s grabbing his face. “I’m…not sure this was a good idea anymore.”

“Hmmm? But it’s working, right?” Ouma-kun asks, now sitting on top of the chair’s back. He swings his legs back and forth. “The ringleader made a move, and we know what it was.”

“Yeah but we’re not any closer to identifying them. How much longer will we have to wait until they totally slip up.” His cheeks still hurt from how badly he grabbed them. “And the move they just made—" Saihara doesn’t want to finish that sentence.  _ It’s a move targeting  _ **_you._ **

“Are you worried about me?” Ouma-kun asks, stopping all movement. “You don’t have to be. I’m prepared for anything. Anything that could happen—I’ve got a plan for it.” He says, expression absolutely blank. Leaping off the back of the chair, he yawns “We just have to wait.”

There’s still so much that could go wrong. In the time that they wait, who knows what might happen? What the ringleader might do? What one of the  _ others  _ might do? This isn’t safe, Ouma-kun is not safe, this is so so so  _ risky-- _ Saihara bites the inside of his lip.

A hand lays on top of his own. “Don’t worry about me.” Ouma-kun says, ever so softly. A moment of quiet sincerity that takes Saihara’s breath away. And just as quick as it came, it’s blown away. “Insteaaaad, help me plan how I’m going to react to Momota-chan’s rescue! It needs to be convincing. I can’t go into it unprepared, after all~” There’s a huge grin on his face as he repeatedly nudges Saihara, stealing a pen and pad of paper from the desk.

Saihara giggles, giggle ballooning into a laugh as the tension that had overtaken his body melts away. Where he was once so anxious he feels…light. Airy. There’s still so much to be concerned about, but if Ouma-kun is still Ouma-kun…he thinks maybe things will be fine. He’s…at ease, in a way he hasn’t felt in so long.

“Saihara-chan’s not taking this seriously! And you were so worried before too…” Ouma-kun whines, pouting, but his eyes sparkle that telltale mischievous glint. Saihara’s heart skips a beat.  _ Ah. Maybe I…like him. _

 

‘Something is wrong’ has been a nagging thought at the back of his mind since he woke up that morning. Poking him in the back of his brain, unable to let him rest. When Harukawa-san showed up in the dining hall with a knife, it only increased. Standing here, in front of the armed exisal hangar, that feeling is only growing.  _ Relax. Everything will be fine.  _ He believes that, and yet--

“Saihara-san why are you just standing there? Must we all do everything for you? Typical menace.” Chabashira-san scolds.

“Ah, no, sorry!” Saihara says. His heart rate can’t decide whether it wants to speed up or slow down. Ouma-kun’s cheerful grin flickers through his thoughts, and for a moment, everything was fine. A deep breath; he approaches the control panel.  _ Why is it….scratched…? _

“Saihara!” Harukawa-san.

Another deep breath.  _ Everything is fine,  _ he thinks, smashing the hammer down on the panel.  _ He’s fine.  _ The barrier is gone.  _ They’re both fine. _

“Everyone rush in!” Kiibo-kun commands.  _ There’s nothing to worry about. _

They all rush in to the open hangar.  _ It’s all going to be…okay… _

**Thump.**

Red.

_ No… _

His heart pounds.

Red everywhere.

_ It can’t…is this real? _

He can’t hear anything, just the thudding in his chest.

The world is dyed red.

_ NO! _

Ding Dong Dong Diiiing! “A body has been discovered!” Monokuma’s voice rings out through the hangar, and Saihara is forced to accept this is reality.

Someone was crushed by the hydraulic press. Momota-kun or Ouma-kun, and Saihara’s not sure which is worse.

 

“The heart racing excitement as the blackened and the spotless face off! It’s—VOTING TIME!!” 'Ouma-kun' let's out an excited cry.

_ Could it be…? _ Saihara’s not even paying attention to the voting panel, instead just watching Monokuma, when—

“Hold on, wait!” Monokuma jumps up in his seat. “I never said you guys could vote!”

_ …He doesn’t know, does he? _

“But we already know the truth. Shouldn’t it be fine to vote?” ‘Ouma-kun’ asks.  _ But why wouldn’t he know? Could it be…the electrobomb? _

“It’s not fine! Nothing about this is fine!” Gonta-kun shouts in a panic.

The electrobomb wouldn’t just disable the sensor, it’d disable any surveillance. A complete locked room mystery.

“And…?” ‘Ouma-kun’ continues on uncaring. “I’m sure Monokuma doesn’t care, right?"

In an instant, it all clicks. The electrobomb, the press, the unsolvable murder—even the video and Monokuma. It all makes sense. It was never about making a murder  _ they _ couldn't solve—

“After all, Monokuma does know the culprit, right?”

It was about stumping Monokuma.  _ Of course… _ Saihara thinks. Ouma-kun probably thought that if the ringleader was wrong about a case, the game couldn’t function anymore. And then it would end. They would be free.

_ But,  _ Saihara’s heart clenches so tightly it’s hard to breathe.  _ Why? Why did it have to go like this? _

“Well, I mean, it’s been like that so far, at least,” ‘Ouma-kun’ finishes. It’s a pointed accusation. They both know Monokuma doesn’t know.

“Eh?” Monokuma asks, quietly, and Saihara can see the teensiest bit of robotic sweat.

Saihara thinks of Momota-kun’s unwavering support, of Ouma-kun’s relentless determination, and his doubts solidify into something resolute.  _ I won’t let your sacrifice go to waste.  _ “Yeah, Monokuma should know,” he says.

The exisal spins towards him, surprised to hear him say anything.  _ It’s okay. I’ll end this with you.  _ The thought is bitter and sweet. “After all,” Saihara continues, “ _ You  _ control Monokuma, right Ouma-kun? If you know, he must know.” A lie.

Monokuma is silent. He’s been cornered. Trapped. Ouma-kun’s ringleader ploy was an effective plan through and through.

“B-but,” Chabashira-san stutters. “Even if he does know, we still don’t. How are we supposed to vote?”

“We just plain can’t figure out anything further from here, and yet we’re supposed to vote anyway?” Shirogane-san asks, despair hanging over her eyes.

“No we don’t.” Saihara asserts. “I have a theory about the truth of this case.” He doesn’t miss the way Monokuma shifts in his throne.

“A theory?” Kiibo-kun asks.

“Yes, although I don’t have much evidence to support it.” Saihara explains. “Earlier, we talked about how it doesn’t make sense for Ouma-kun to take out his own security, and I still don’t believe it does.” A lie. “He’s the ringleader; he would need it to protect himself from Harukawa-san.” More lies. “But I think, knowing Ouma-kun, and this killing game, isn’t it possible he’d make the press seem like an option for entertainment?” It’s all lies.

“That bastard does see our lives as a joke. I wouldn’t put it past him.” Harukawa-san growls. ‘Ouma-kun’ is silent.

Saihara nods in agreement. Another lie. “If Ouma-kun wants to run this killing game still, I don’t think he’d risk making himself the blackened, but I do think he’d make it look possible, just to watch us suffer.”  _ No he wouldn’t,  _ but he continues to lie.

“In that case, are you suggesting the true culprit is Harukawa-san? That is not much to go on.” Kiibo-kun says.

“I think it’s likely. Will you trust me?” Saihara asks.  _ Believe my lie. _

The room is silent. One by one, everyone nods. Harukawa-san, Chabashira-san, Gonta-kun, Shirogane-san, Kiibo-kun—all of them accept his lie.

“It could still be me though,” ‘Ouma-kun’ chimes in. “After all, I  _ did  _ say I was bored of this game.”

“Yes, but you’re a liar, right?” And Saihara is one too.

“Nishishi~ that I am. Well, I don’t care how you vote either way. It’s all just a show to me.” The exisal shrugs. “Weeeeell, Monokuma?” ‘Ouma-kun’ singsongs “I think it’s voting time.”

Monokuma remains silent, only glaring at Saihara. Through gritted teeth “yeah sure, it’s voting time.”

The voting panel stares Saihara in the face, the timer ticking down.  _ This will work.  _ He hovers over Momota-kun briefly, before pressing Harukawa-san. He’s committed to this lie; he’ll see it through to the end.  _ This will work. _

The results hang overhead on the screen. All but one voted for Harukawa-san. He imagines the one vote for Ouma-kun came from the exisal. Monokuma runs through his voting speech, but the delivery is flat, glare switching between the exisal, and Saihara. His heart thuds. It’s the moment of truth.

And then…there’s silence. Even after the voting results disappear, nothing is said.  _ This will work. _

“Well? Say something! Did we vote correctly or not?” Chabashira-san assumes a fighting stance, but Saihara doesn’t miss the bead of sweat dripping from her forehead.

Monokuma continues to say nothing, nervously glancing at the exisal, but the exisal says nothing back. He’s cornered.

“Please, say something!” Gonta-kun is clutching his bug case tightly.

Finally, Monokuma speaks up. “Well, you voted correctly!” The delivery lacks all the passion it usually has. “The blackened who killed Momota Kaito-kun is Harukawa Maki-san! Congrat--”

He’s cut off by the exisal door opening with a loud hiss. And out from the exisal—“You sure about that?” Momota-kun. The room is stunned into silence. For a minute, no one moves, no one says anything, no one breathes. And then they all clamor around him.

“Eh?”

“But—”

“How are you—”

“Momota!”

“….I thought so.” Saihara whispers with half a smile, ignoring the way his heart tears itself in half at the sight. Everyone whips around to face him.

“You…thought so?” Kiibo-kun asks.

Saihara hums and nods. It’s what all the evidence, whatever little evidence they may have, points to. But seeing it still hurts nonetheless. A knife straight to his torn up heart.

Momota-kun puts a hand behind his head and sighs. “Well, I should probably explain myself…” And he does, with Saihara occasionally chiming in to elaborate. Monokuma says nothing the entire time. It takes a while to convince everyone of the video trick. How Ouma-kun was never the ringleader, and how Momota-kun didn’t die from poison. Saihara wasn’t totally surprised to learn about the script, or the schematics. Ouma-kun was always hyper-prepared.

_ ‘I’m prepared for anything. Anything that could happen—I’ve got a plan for it.’ _

The knife twists.  _ Is this what you meant?  _ He can’t keep the grimace from his face.

“Still, Shuuichi you figured it all out that soon?” Momota-kun has the proudest grin on his face. “That’s amazing! I wasn’t expecting you to figure it all out that fast.”

“That is one thing I do not understand.” Kiibo-kun frowns, holding his fist over his chest. “Why would you not solve this case?”

“That’s right!” Shirogane-san waves her arm in desperation. “Why would you deliberately mess up trial? All of our lives are on the line!”

“Could it be…Saihara-san wanted us all to die…?” Chabashira-san says lowly, ready to throw someone, probably himself, across the room.

“No! That can’t be!” Gonta-kun shouts, but the confused desperation is clear in his eyes. “Saihara-kun wouldn’t betray us like this!”

“Aah, that’s not…” Saihara takes a step back from all the chaos, arms raised. “I don’t think anyone is getting executed. Because…Monokuma was wrong.”

“Yeah that was the plan,” Momota-kun says, scratching the back of his head. “The plan was to make a case that Monokuma would think I died. The electrobombs would take out his surveillance and he’d have to rely on the video to run trial. And after the vote, I’d jump out of the exisal and prove his entire ruling wrong.”

Harukawa-san’s eyes widen in realization. “And Monokuma earlier ruled…I was the culprit who killed you. Meaning…”

“The ruling was incorrect from the start.” Saihara turns to face Monokuma, who hasn’t said a word this entire time. “Well Monokuma?”

Nothing. Nothing, and then—“upupupupu…so what?” Monokuma snickers, hands over his mouth. “What makes you think I won’t execute you anyway?”

“I don’t think your audience would like that. Especially since you were wrong.” Saihara counters, voice unwavering.  _ This will work. It HAS to work. _

“An…audience?”

“There’s an audience?!”

“Aren’t we the only people on earth?”

“Shuuichi, why do you know about that?” Momota-kun’s question cuts through all the others.

_ That’s right. They don’t know about my alliance.  _ “I’ll explain that later,” Saihara says. “But…a death game is meant to be watched, right? Adding all these rules and regulations just gets in the way if your goal is for all of us to die. Why not just outright kill us all in that case?”

“You sure seem positive there’s an audience for such a flimsy reason.” Monokuma handwaves. “Seems like the Super High School Level Detective is getting a little overconfident.”

“I’m not wrong.”

Silence.  _ This will work.  _ Monokuma is expressionless. “What are you trying to have me do?”

“End the game.” Saihara stands defiant.  _ This will work!  _ It has to. Ouma-kun died for this. “You failed to properly run this trial, meaning this game can’t function anymore, can it? And your audience knows that.”

Momota-kun joins in, fist clenched. “That’s right! Ouma’s plan was a success, so you shouldn’t be able to run the game anymore. This game is over!”

“If you can’t successfully run the game at all times, we shouldn’t be forced to play it!” Chabashira-san says, and everyone joins in agreement, one by one.

“Let us go! You have to!” Gonta-kun.

“It’s unreasonable to expect us to play a game you can’t enforce.” Kiibo-kun.

“That’s right! Why should we have to continue playing?” Shirogane-san.

“You messed up. It’s over.” Harukawa-san.

Saihara can’t help but smile. Everyone believes in this—it has to work. “This killing game is over.”

“….upupu…” Monokuma giggles lowly, and everyone is thrown off guard.  _ Why is he…?  _ “upupupupu!” The quiet giggles turns into a cackle, into a full-blown laugh echoing off the walls of the trial ground. He rolls around in his throne, laughing like this is the funniest thing he’s seen in years. “You really think it’s that simple? Nononononononono _ no. _ ” He sits up straight. “The killing game will never end.”

“But—”  _ No. _

“No!”  _ No! _

“Why?”  _ NO! _

“Damn it!”  **_NO!_ **

The room falls to panic.  _ This can’t be!  _ To disarray.  _ Momota-kun killed for nothing?! _ To madness.  _ Ouma-kun  _ **_died_ ** _ for nothing?!  _ Something is bubbling, brewing boiling deep within Saihara-- _ No.— _ and it’s about to overflow.  _ I am not having that.  _ His clenched fists are shaking. “Yes it will.” He utters, anger embedded in every syllable.

“Hm?” Monokuma’s head cocks to the side. Everyone stares at Saihara in confusion.

“If you won’t end it now, then how about this? Put the killing game on trial.” Saihara demands, fists squeezed so tightly it might cut off circulation to his thumbs. “You’ve proven you can’t run the game, so how about the game goes on trial. If I can convince the game is invalid—is wrong, you have to end it.”  _ I’m not letting their sacrifices go to waste! I won’t! _

“You sure have a lot of faith in your audience theory.” Monokuma snickers, mouth covered. “This sounds fun though, so okay. But you have to solve every mystery too. It’s not enough unless you can convince me you know everything.” He sounds absolutely carefree, but it doesn’t matter.

“That’s fine. I’ll solve every mystery you throw at me. I will reach the truth and end this game.” Saihara declares. For Amami-kun. For Akamatsu-san. For Hoshi-kun, and Toujou-san, and Shinguuji-kun, and Angie-san, and Yumeno-san, and Iruma-san. For Ouma-kun.

Saihara exhales; his heart rate slows back down. They’ll end this game. Everything will work out fine.

Monokuma wiggles in his throne in excitement before jumping out of it. “Well, I better leave all of you to investigating then. Might want to hurry up your wrap up party; who knows when I’ll start trial!” and with that, he’s gone.

Nobody knows what to say at first. They look around the room, and back at Saihara, and between each other, waiting for someone to start the conversation, and no one does. Finally, Momota-kun speaks up. “Shuuichi, I wanted to ask you earlier, but how did you figure out so much? How did you know Ouma’s plan was to end the game, or about the audience?”

“Yeah, how were you able to figure out so much?” Shirogane-san asks. Everyone looks at him expectantly. It’s time to come clean.

“Ouma-kun and I have been working together since the despair fever motive,” Saihara explains. Everyone listens raptly as he tells them about everything. About that fateful encounter in the dining hall, the murders they tried to prevent, the fake ringleader ploy, the nightly investigations and shared discoveries. As he recounts it all, his heart clenches in the most bittersweet way. It still feels like he’s been stabbed.

“During trial as I solved the case I realized you and Ouma-kun would only do something like this if you thought it could end the game so once I understood everything…I decided to end things with you.” He’s smiling to ignore the ache—the despair. “Ouma-kun wanted to end this game more than anything else. He told me as much when I first confronted him.”

_ ‘I have to ruin this killing game. I’d do anything to accomplish that—even die.’ _

“He told you all that huh?” Momota-kun sighs and shakes his head. “Then maybe the bastard wasn’t lyin’ after all.” Everyone looks at him in confusion. “When we were carryin’ this out I asked him why he wanted to end this game when he seemed to like it so much, and he basically told me the same thing.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t believe it at the time, but…” A grin. A thumbs up. “If my sidekick trusted him enough to work with him, then maybe it was the truth after all.”

And then Momota hacks up blood.  _ No!  _ “Momota!” Harukawa-san shouts, rushing right to his side. Everyone else stares in shock.

“Heh,” He wipes the blood away from his mouth.  _ Why?  _ “I’m runnin’ out of time. That’s why I agreed to the plan in the first place. Wouldn’t matter if I risked my life to end this game, I’m already dying, right?”  _ Please no.  _ He coughs up more blood, but never drops that smile. “I wasn’t going to let him or Harumaki die in vain, not when I could do something. Like a hero would.”

Momota-kun collapses against his seat, unable to carry his own weight anymore. He faintly reaches over to Saihara and pats him on the shoulder. “You’ll see this through, right? Yeah, of course you will. You’re so much stronger now. I believe you’ll end this killing game.”

“Momota-kun!”  _ I don’t want to lose anyone else!  _ Tears prick at his eyes.

Harukawa-san is desperately wiping at her own eyes. “Momota I—"

“Hey come on, don’t cry! I’m the one who should be crying; I didn’t get to go to space!” Momota-kun’s joke falls flat. “It’ll be alright. You’re both my sidekicks. I believe…you’ll both be…alright.” Blood flies from his mouth with one final cough, and Momota-kun crumples to the floor, the same proud smile on his face. He’s…dead.

Harukawa-san falls to the floor and bawls. “I didn’t…I didn’t get to tell him I love him.”

Ouma-kun flashes through his mind.  _ Neither did I. _

 

They split up to investigate the school, and Saihara finds himself here, in Ouma-kun’s room. It’s ever messy and covered in evidence but…it’s cold. Lifeless. Ouma-kun isn’t here anymore. He should be doing other things, investigating other places but…he needs to be alone, surrounded by reminders of everything he’s lost.

He traces his fingers aimlessly across the whiteboard, not finding it in him to pair up Ouma-kun and Momota-kun.  _ Why did it have to end like this?  _ His eyes sting, as he slumps onto the bed. Something crinkles under his hand. Paper? Saihara picks up what his hand stumbled upon. It’s the pad of paper from the night before. But…why is it here?

He wipes at his eyes to take a closer look. On the first page is half the script and a bunch of silly doodles Ouma-kun drew of their classmates. Saihara lets out a watery giggle.  _ It’s just so like him,  _ he thinks, flipping through the pages. Page after page filled with doodles and nonsense and then--

‘To my beloved Saihara-chan, in case things go wrong.’

And then he stops. Stares at the page in disbelief.  _ Is this…a will?  _ He doesn’t want to read it, but at the same time he has to. This is Ouma-kun’s last words, and they’re for him. With trembling hands and red eyes, he reads.

‘If you’re reading this, I must be dead. Probably crushed by Momota-chan, assuming the plan went off without a hitch, in an attempt to create an unsolvable murder and ruin this killing game once and for all. Did it work? Well, if you came back here to read this, it’s probably not over.’

_ Of course this is about the killing game.  _ Even his will is about the game. That doesn’t surprise Saihara at all.

‘I thought of that. That maybe an incorrect verdict might not be enough. Maybe the audience doesn’t care about the rules as much as we thought, and cares more about entertainment. It might not be enough but I think it was a start.’

Saihara blinks back tears, but powers through reading.

‘Even if it didn’t work, I’m sure you thought of something. Even with all my intricate and well thought plans, you could always cut straight to the heart of things. I’m sure you found the solution even in my failures. I believe in that.’

Drip. Drop. Tears fall on the page.

‘Saihara-chan, I’m sorry. You told me you cared about what happened to me, and I went and died on you anyway. I didn’t want this to happen. I wanted to end this game, and get out of here with you, but it didn’t pan out like that. I’m sorry.’

A hiccup. A sob. The pad of paper is clutched tightly in his grip.

‘But even if I’m dead, you have to end this game without me. No, I know you will. Just like I know you carried out my plan, I know you’ll see this through. Of everyone here, you’re the only one who can do it. Maybe all this sincerity from me surprises you, but it’s true. There’s no point lying when you’re dead.’

Saihara carefully tears out the letter and tucks it into his pocket. Tears are still streaming down his face as he rubs his eyes against his sleeve. He’s lost so much today. But the final lines of the will resonate within him.

‘End this killing game, Saihara-chan. I entrust that to you.

For once in complete sincerity, your partner,

Ouma Kokichi’

His determination steels.  _ Yeah. I will.  _

**Author's Note:**

> If it makes you feel any better, this is not how I intend for that verse to actually end. It's just the really sad idea I thought of I couldn't NOT write. But god it took forever to write. Anyway please comment if you read it means the world to me.


End file.
